SEEfest 2020 Extended Dates Plus Virtual Jury Awards
SEEfest extends 2020 festival dates to August
We are pleased to announce the dates of the extended festival run in 2020: From virtual cinema soft launch on June 24 to full program launch on July 15 through Aug 16. During the extended run, a curated program of 57 films will be showcased in our virtual theaters online. Please visit program pages on our website to find out more about the films in this year’s lineup, and start watching early releases.
Jury Awards of the 15th SEEfest
In an exceptionally difficult year our heartfelt thanks go to the members of SEEfest 2020 juries whose awards pay tribute to outstanding films in seven competition categories:
BEST FEATURE FILM, GRAND JURY PRIZE
Zana, by Antoneta Kastrati
Honorable Mention: Omar and Us, by Maryna Er Gorbach & Mehmet Bahadır Er
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Ex-aequo:
Queen Lear, by Pelin Esmer; and Bora, Story About a Wind, by Bernhard Pötscher
Honorable Mention: Come Find Me, by Diana Nicolae & Noriflorentina Vito
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A FEATURE FILM
Dávid Hartung, cinematographer, Pilate
Honorable Mentions – shared:
Virginie Saint-Martin, cinematographer, God Exists Her Name is Petrunya
Sevdije Kastrati, cinematographer, Zana
Jani-Petteri Passi, cinematographer, Corporation
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A DOCUMENTARY FILM
Bernhard Pötscher, cinematographer, Bora, Story About a Wind
BEST SHORT FICTION
The Dude, by Alexandros Kakaniaris
Honorable Mention: When I’m at Home, by Ivana Todorović
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM
Then Comes the Evening, by Maja Novaković
Honorable Mention: A Cat is Always Female, by Martina Meštrović, Tanja Vujasinović
BEST SHORT ANIMATION
Passage, by Igor Ćorić
Honorable Mention: Two, by Emre Okten
Congratulations to all filmmakers!
Interview with COMMON STORY filmmaker
We continue to profile filmmakers whose new movies are featured in our 2020 edition. This week we invite you to hear from Gordan Kičić, who spoke with SEEfest team member Azra Isaković about his film, and the triple role he played in COMMON STORY as director, producer and lead actor. Make sure to follow SEEfest youtube channel for more interviews and trailers to come. You can watch the interview here.
Submissions Now Open for the 36th IDA Documentary Awards!
Submissions are open for the 36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards, the world’s most prestigious awards dedicated solely to the documentary genre, celebrating the best nonfiction programs and documentarians of the year!
Entry is open to any non-fiction shorts, features, series, and podcasts completed or publicly released between October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Apply by July 7, 2020!
SUPPORT SEEFEST
If you like our programming orientation and the cultural mission of SEEfest, consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you!
FRIENDS OF SEEFEST
SEEfest program and activities are supported, in part, by the California Arts Council, a state agency; Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and by an Arts Grant from the City of West Hollywood. Special thanks to ELMA, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for their continued support of our programs.
Follow SEEfest on Instagram and Facebook where we post SEE news as it happens!
SEEfest Online Edition Launches with COMMON STORY
SEEfest Goes Live with Lighthearted COMMON STORY
Filled with genuine warmth and gentle humor, Common Story (Serbia, 2019, 91 min) takes us through the saga of an actor, Veljko Radisavljević, who believes that the entire universe has conspired against him. He is a walking problem convinced that all the discord in his life is created by people around him, which is why he often gets into comic conflicts with friends, family, colleagues, and even random passersby.
Waiting for the big role that he thinks will solve all his troubles, Veljko slowly begins to come to grips with the real problems in his life.
Directed and produced by the lead actor, Gordan Kičić, this U.S. premiere marks the launch of SEEfest online edition. Don’t miss this rare lighthearted film from South East Europe, and a successful feature debut of a popular actor.
Watch COMMON STORY in the virtual screening room.
Interview with ZANA filmmakers
We begin a series of interviews highlighting filmmakers behind some of the films in the official selection of SEEfest 2020, starting with the L.A.-based team of ZANA. Check out the conversation Hipolito Munoz had with director Antoneta Kastrati, cinematographer Sevdije Kastrati and producer Casey Cooper Johnson. Make sure to follow SEEfest YouTube channel for more interviews and trailers to come, like this interview with ZANA filmmakers.
Summer Festival Jam
Transilvania International Film Festival in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, usually slated for June, will be held outdoors from July 31-Aug 9, preceded by Pula Film Festival in Croatia taking place July 18-26 in the beautiful outdoor venue Arena, one of only six surviving amphitheaters from Roman times. On the heels of these two festivals, Sarajevo will welcome visitors to its 26th edition taking place Aug 14-21 in several outdoor venues.
SEE filmmakers on the move: Ioana Mischie VR project goes to Cannes
Tangible Utopias, poetically dubbed as ‘noetic science and hope-filled vision’ VR project by Romanian filmmaker Ioana Mischie is one of 23 selected for Cannes XR industry platform. Last year two of her other projects were successfully presented at SEEfest Accelerator.
SUPPORT SEEFEST
If you like our programming orientation and the cultural mission of SEEfest, consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you!
FRIENDS OF SEEFEST
SEEfest program and activities are supported, in part, by the California Arts Council, a state agency; Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and by an Arts Grant from the City of West Hollywood. Special thanks to ELMA, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for their continued support of our programs.
Follow SEEfest on Instagram and Facebook where we post SEE news as it happens!